A novel wearable laser device to regulate stride length in Parkinson's disease

Yan Zhao, Stefan Ramesberger, Urban M. Fietzek, Lorenzo T. D'Angelo, Tim C. Luth

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

8 Scopus citations

Abstract

Decreased stride length is a highly relevant characteristic of the gait in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). In this paper, a novel wearable laser device for stride length regulation is presented. The device is mounted to one foot and can project a red laser light strip to the floor as a visual cue for the other foot. In the experiment twelve healthy volunteers walked a 20 m straight walkway wearing the system on both feet. As an objective result, the stride length regulation reached an accuracy of 96.1±2.5 (94.0±3.5) % for a pre-defined stride length λdef= 55 (65) cm. The subjective evaluation by the participants using a questionnaire revealed that the visual cue projected from the laser device was considered a stable signal that did not shake during walking. 6 of 12 participants felt that this device was not interfering with their gait, 3 of 12 judged this aspect neutrally, and 3 of 12 considered it somehow bothersome.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2013
Pages5895-5898
Number of pages4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2013
Event2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2013 - Osaka, Japan
Duration: 3 Jul 20137 Jul 2013

Publication series

NameProceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
ISSN (Print)1557-170X

Conference

Conference2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2013
Country/TerritoryJapan
CityOsaka
Period3/07/137/07/13

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